Thursday TV Tips: An Irish couple pitch their changing mat for babies to Dragons' Den

— and watch out for the early kick-off as Stephen Kenny seeks his first win with the Republic of Ireland
Thursday TV Tips: An Irish couple pitch their changing mat for babies to Dragons' Den

The Wriggler on Dragons' Den 

Comhrá

TG4 7.30pm

Máirtín Tom Lee from Leitir Mealláin in Galway is this week’s guest. In June 2006 he suffered a life-changing accident.

Dragons’ Den

BBC One, 8pm

An Irish couple pitch their changing mat for babies which incorporates an anti-roll design.

The Wriggler by Pluxty
The Wriggler by Pluxty

Husband-and-wife team James and Aileen McCauley from Dublin came up with an award-winning invention: The Wriggler — an anti-roll portable baby-changing mat specially designed for babies and toddlers who wriggle and writhe during a nappy change.

Schoolteacher James and educational psychologist Aileen were inspired by personal experience with their own little boy to come up with The Wriggler, a portable changing mat with straps that resembles a bear character. 

They say: "Given you change a baby’s nappy at least six times a day until potty training, which amounts to an incredible 6,500 times, it’s a possible godsend for 40% of parents who report feelings of stress and frustration as they grapple with their little wriggler at changing time."

“In our wildest dreams we never imagined that an idea dreamt up at our kitchen table could have resulted in us appearing on BBC TV on Dragons’ Den” add the couple. 

The Big DIY Challenge

RTÉ One, 8.30pm

Fergal Megannety in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, is building a beehive shaped like a Russian dacha in honour of his wife Svetlana.  Michael Judd in Kilmoon, County Clare creates a stunning crescent moon seating area and firepit from locally-sourced stone. And Geri Canavan in Westmeath, draws inspiration from Marie Antoinette’s chambers at the Palace of Versailles.

Michael Judd in Kilmoon, Co Clare creates a stunning crescent moon seating area and firepit from locally sourced stone on The Big DIY Challenge
Michael Judd in Kilmoon, Co Clare creates a stunning crescent moon seating area and firepit from locally sourced stone on The Big DIY Challenge

Joey Essex: Grief And Me

BBC Two, 9pm

Joey Essex speaks about the pain he was feeling over the death of his mother at the same time he was rocketing to fame on The Only Way Is Essex. The reality TV star, 30, was 10 when his mother Tina took her own life.

Essex says that going through school was "tough" and his father thought he would end up working in the fish market. However, his life changed when he was cast in a reality show about the lives of young people in Essex: "I was still a kid really, I had failed at all these jobs, and then it was like, boom, I was on Towie."

Joey Essex who has spoken of the pain he was feeling over the death of his mother at the same time he was rocketing to fame on The Only Way Is Essex. Picture: Des Wilie/BBC/PA Wire
Joey Essex who has spoken of the pain he was feeling over the death of his mother at the same time he was rocketing to fame on The Only Way Is Essex. Picture: Des Wilie/BBC/PA Wire

"So all that heartache and pain of not being able to work, I didn't know who to run to, I had no money, nothing, and then the next minute, boom, everyone knew me in England, I was the most famous boy in the UK, everyone knew my name, I had loads of money coming in. It was crazy for me. And I was dealing with pain at that time, which no one knew about. It was still there, trust me. It was hard. It was overwhelming for me, I couldn't believe it, and all I was thinking was, 'I wish my mum was here. What is this? Why is this happening? It was crazy."

The Road to Partition

BBC One, 9pm

Final episode. On June 22, 1921, England’s King George V and Queen Mary arrived in Belfast for the official opening of the first parliament of Northern Ireland. An examination of how political tensions and outbreaks of sectarian violence threatened to destabilise the new state.

The Handmaid’s Tale

RTÉ2, 10.30pm

June seeks out more active rebels in the Chicago war zone.

Sport

International soccer friendly: Andorra v Republic of Ireland (ko 5pm). RTÉ2

Radio

The Alternative 2FM, 10pm: Dan Hegarty presents highlights from UK band Shame's recent BBC 6Music Festival set, including tunes from recent album 'Drunk Tank Pink'.

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